A mom had to make the ultimate sacrifice after being diagnosed with aggressive cervical cancer during her pregnancy.
Sarah Milner, 30, decided against terminating her pregnancy to save her baby after receiving the heartbreaking diagnosis at 21 weeks.
Medics had advised the mother of three, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, to abort her pregnancy. However, the brave mom refused and gave birth to baby Louis on April 1, 2020.
Sarah is now receiving life-prolonging chemotherapy and has been given less than two years to live.
Sarah said: “I was 21 weeks pregnant and diagnosed with stage one cervical cancer, which was described to me as being aggressive.
“When I heard the diagnosis I couldn’t believe that this was really happening to me. It didn’t seem real. I was devastated.
“When I was 26 I had a smear test which came back clear. I had my next one booked in, but I had to cancel as I was pregnant with Louis.
“Because of the aggressive nature of the cancer, the doctors advised me to terminate my pregnancy. However, I really didn’t want to do that. I wanted to have my baby no matter what.”
After giving birth to Louis via C-section at 31 weeks in April 2020, Sarah immediately had a hysterectomy and lymph node removal in a bid to fight cancer.
However, by November, another lump was found and cancer had spread throughout the new mom’s body.
Sarah said: “After I had given birth I was told that it was good news, they had removed most of the cancer and I had a good chance of being given the all-clear.
“I was over the moon. I thought my decision had paid off and everything was going to work out well for us.
“Throughout the summer I was having radiotherapy to treat some of the cancer that was in the lymphatic channel and then in October, I had a scan which was expected to come back all clear.
“I received the results for the scan in November. Another lump had been found and the cancer had spread everywhere.”
Sarah said she was told it was stage four and there was “nothing else they could do” for her.
“I couldn’t believe what they were telling me once again. My world completely fell apart,” she said.
“The news crushed me. I knew the risks that I was taking, but it just was not what I was expecting to come back from the scan.”
“My kids, Lily-Grace, who is nine, Bobbie, who is seven, and Louis are going to be without their mom,” she added.
“I am now receiving life-prolonging chemotherapy every three weeks. I have been given around two years to live, but as my cancer is very aggressive, it is likely to be shorter.”
Sarah, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy to prolong her life, married her partner, James, in December last year.
She said: “Since receiving that devastating news, my partner of three years, James, and I got a special license so that we could have a last-minute wedding on 14 December.
“It was a really lovely, local wedding at Stoke registry office. The kids and both of our parents were there and a local wedding shop gave me a dress and a veil to wear.
“I am just happy that we managed to get married. It was one of the most important things to me.
“We also managed to get away for a mini-honeymoon for one night in the Lake District. It was amazing.
“I want to leave special things for the kids once I am gone. I am writing them birthday cards for the future, and cards for other special occasions such as weddings.”
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